Cell fusing agent virus (Flavivirus) infection in Aedes aegypti in Texas: seasonality, comparison by trap type, and individual viral loads

Martin, Estelle; Tang, Wendy; Briggs, Cierra; Hopson, Helena; Juarez, Jose G.; Garcia-Luna, Selene; Valdez, Megan Wise de; Badillo-Vargas, Ismael E.; Borucki, Monica K.; Frank, Matthias; Hamer, Gabriel L.

doi:10.1007/s00705-020-04652-0

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In one of these households, the animals were resampled two weeks later and respiratory and body fur samples were again positive ( Hamer et al 2021 ). Furthermore, in our recent study using sticky traps for indoor and outdoor collections, we detected viral RNA of an insect-specific virus in 30% (40 of 138) of Aedes aegypti mosquito pools ( Martin et al 2020 ). Most of these mosquitoes were dead when collected at 7 d intervals confirming the utility of a sticky trap for recovering viral RNA in insects using the same protocols and equipment as the current study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

No Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Among Flies or Cockroaches in Households Where COVID-19 Positive Cases Resided

Roundy

Hamer

Zecca

et al. 2022

Journal of Medical Entomology

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Flies and other arthropods mechanically transmit multiple pathogens and a recent experimental study demonstrated house flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), can mechanically transmit SARS-CoV-2. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of mechanical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by domestic insects and their potential as a xenosurveillance tool for detection of the virus. Flies were trapped in homes where at least one confirmed human COVID-19 case(s) resided using sticky and liquid-baited fly traps placed inside and outside the home in the Texas counties of Brazos, Bell, and Montgomery, from June to September 2020. Flies from sticky traps were identified, pooled by taxa, homogenized, and tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). Liquid traps were drained, and the collected fluid similarly tested after RNA concentration. We processed the contents of 133 insect traps from 40 homes, which contained over 1,345 individual insects of 11 different Diptera families and Blattodea. These individuals were grouped into 243 pools, and all tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Fourteen traps in seven homes were deployed on the day that cat or dog samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by nasal, oral, body, or rectal samples. This study presents evidence that biting and nonbiting flies and cockroaches (Blattodea) are not likely to contribute to mechanical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 or be useful in xenosurveillance for SARS-CoV-2.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

No Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Among Flies or Cockroaches in Households Where COVID-19 Positive Cases Resided

Roundy

Hamer

Zecca

et al. 2022

Journal of Medical Entomology

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“…The first detection was from Ae. aegypti cell lines [7], and it was later detected in field-caught Aedes and Culex mosquitoes in different parts of the world [9,[34][35][36]. CFAV appears to be a frequent flavivirus in mosquito populations, and the fact that it was not detected previously in South Africa is mostly likely due to lack of studies on ISFVs as opposed to a lack of presence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Insect-Specific Flaviviruses in Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Northeastern Regions of South Africa

Guarido

Govender

Riddin

et al. 2021

Viruses

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Mosquitoes in the Aedes and Culex genera are considered the main vectors of pathogenic flaviviruses worldwide. Entomological surveillance using universal flavivirus sets of primers in mosquitoes can detect not only pathogenic viruses but also insect-specific ones. It is hypothesized that insect-specific flaviviruses, which naturally infect these mosquitoes, may influence their vector competence for zoonotic arboviruses. Here, entomological surveillance was performed between January 2014 and May 2018 in five different provinces in the northeastern parts of South Africa, with the aim of identifying circulating flaviviruses. Mosquitoes were sampled using different carbon dioxide trap types. Overall, 64,603 adult mosquitoes were collected, which were screened by RT-PCR and sequencing. In total, 17 pools were found positive for insect-specific Flaviviruses in the mosquito genera Aedes (12/17, 70.59%) and Anopheles (5/17, 29.41%). No insect-specific viruses were detected in Culex species. Cell-fusing agent viruses were detected in Aedes aegypti and Aedes caballus. A range of anopheline mosquitoes, including Anopheles coustani, An. squamosus and An. maculipalpis, were positive for Culex flavivirus-like and Anopheles flaviviruses. These results confirm the presence of insect-specific flaviviruses in mosquito populations in South Africa, expands their geographical range and indicates potential mosquito species as vector species.

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“…Although improvements for testing male pupae exuviae would be desirable, the sensitivity of 89% for female pupae exuviae provides the ability to assess prior infection in mosquitoes by testing pupae exuviae, which will be useful for future experiments. It is unknown why sensitivity differs between female and male pupae exuviae, but a previous study has shown that virus levels have a wider range and are lower titer, on average, in males (Martin et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A small number of studies have observed vertical transmission of ISFs in naturally or experimentally infected mosquito colonies (Peinado et al 2022; McClean et al 2021; Contreras-Gutierrez et al 2017; Bolling et al 2012; Saiyasombat et al 2011; Lutomiah et al 2007), including for cell fusing agent virus (CFAV), an ISF identified in several Aedes aegypti cell culture lines, and in field and laboratory colony mosquitoes (Baidaliuk et al 2020; Martin et al 2020; Bolling et al 2015; Stollar and Thomas, 1975). The observed vertical transmission rate was higher in naturally infected colonies of Ae.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertical and horizontal transmission of cell fusing agent virus in Aedes aegypti

Logan

Quek

Muthoni

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Cell fusing agent virus (CFAV) is an insect specific flavivirus (ISF) found in field and laboratory populations of Aedes aegypti. ISFs have recently demonstrated the ability to block the transmission of arboviruses such as dengue, West Nile and Zika viruses. It is thought that vertical transmission is the main route for ISF infections. This has been observed with CFAV, but there is evidence of horizontal and venereal transmission in other ISFs. Understanding the route of transmission can inform strategies to spread ISFs to wild vector populations as a method of controlling pathogenic arboviruses. We crossed individually reared male and female mosquitoes from both a naturally occurring CFAV-positive Ae. aegypti colony and its negative counterpart to provide information on maternal, paternal, and horizontal transmission. RT-PCR was used to detect CFAV in individual female mosquito pupal exuviae and was 89% sensitive, but only 41% in male mosquito pupal exuviae. This is a possible way to screen individuals for infection without destroying the adults. Female-to-male horizontal transmission was not observed during this study, however there was a 31% transmission rate from mating pairs of CFAV-positive males to negative female mosquitoes. Maternal vertical transmission was observed with a filial infection rate of 93%. The rate of paternal transmission was 85% when the female remained negative, 61% when the female acquired CFAV horizontally, and 76% overall. Maternal and paternal transmission of CFAV could allow the introduction of this virus into wild Ae. aegypti populations through male or female mosquito releases, and thus provides a potential strategy for ISF-derived arbovirus control.

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Cell fusing agent virus (Flavivirus) infection in Aedes aegypti in Texas: seasonality, comparison by trap type, and individual viral loads

Cited by 8 publications

References 48 publications

No Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Among Flies or Cockroaches in Households Where COVID-19 Positive Cases Resided

No Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Among Flies or Cockroaches in Households Where COVID-19 Positive Cases Resided

Detection of Insect-Specific Flaviviruses in Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Northeastern Regions of South Africa

Vertical and horizontal transmission of cell fusing agent virus in Aedes aegypti

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